Discovering Die Familie

Curriculum & Standards Alignment

Learning Area: Languages
Language: German
Year Level: Foundation (Prep)
Australian Curriculum Alignment:

• F–10 (Version 9.0) – Languages: German
  • Strand: Communicating and Understanding
  • Sub-strands:
    • Socialising (ACLGEC101): Interact with teacher and peers through action-related talk and play.
    • Informing (ACLGEC103): Share information about themselves, their family, and their class.
    • Understanding (ACLGEC107): Recognise and experiment with sounds and patterns in German, such as vowels, consonants, rhythm, and intonation.

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Lesson 4 of 20: Family Vocabulary – “Die Familie”

Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 20 Students
Unit Title: German Language Adventures

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WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Say and recognise German words for family members.
• Create a simple family tree and label family members in German.

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Success Criteria:

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: ✅ Identify and correctly pronounce at least 4 German family member terms (Mama, Papa, Schwester, Bruder).
✅ Match pictures of family members with German vocabulary.
✅ Create a personal family tree and label each member in German.

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Materials Required:

• Flashcards of family members with pictures and German labels
• A1 display poster: “Meine Familie” (for modelling)
• Printed “My Family” worksheet (tree template – no labels)
• Coloured pencils, scissors, glue sticks
• Fluent speaker audio clips (recorded pronunciation of each word)
• Digital whiteboard or smart TV for pronunciation audio and group activities
• Mini whiteboards and markers for plenary
• Visual supports (PECS cards for EAL/D and neurodiverse learners)

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Lesson Breakdown (45 mins)

1. Warm-up: Guten Morgen Song & Brain Warmers (5 mins)

• Begin with the “Guten Morgen” (Good Morning) welcome song to set the tone.
• Ask: “Wie geht's?” (How are you?) and encourage a few students to respond with facial expressions or thumbs up/down.

2. Hook: Meet meine Familie! (5 mins)

• Show a story-style poster of a cartoon family.
• Say: “Das ist meine Familie!” (This is my family!) in an excited tone.
• Introduce family members one by one:
  Mama (mum), Papa (dad), Schwester (sister), Bruder (brother).
• Use call-and-response to get students repeating the words.

Teacher tip: Over-enunciate and add playful gestures — e.g., hug self for "Mama", strength pose for "Papa", hair plait mimic for "Schwester".

3. Vocabulary Drill with Actions (10 mins)

• Use flashcards and act out each character:
  • Show “Mama” card → students say it and hug themselves.
  • Show “Papa” card → students say it and pretend to lift weights.
  • Repeat for “Bruder” (fist bump gesture) and “Schwester” (twirl or curtsy).
• Audio pronunciation played via speaker for listening skills support.

Differentiation:

• For hearing-impaired students, provide printed cards with written text and Auslan cues.
• For EAL learners, use dual imagery (English/German) briefly before transitioning exclusively to German terms.

4. Group Challenge: Who’s Who? (5 mins)

• Volunteer students come up one at a time, select a family flashcard unseen.
• They act it out, class guesses in German.
• If guessed correctly: class earns a piece to build a puzzle on the board (“Familienhaus” house).

5. Craft Time: Mein Familienbaum (15 mins)

• Hand out tree template worksheet. Students:
  • Draw their family members in each box (mother, father, brother, sister, or anyone else they live with).
  • Use picture cards or copy from model to label family members in German.
  • Colour and decorate using guidance: “Was ist das auf Deutsch?” to reinforce key vocab.

Differentiation:

• Provide scaffold sheets for students needing support, with pre-labeled labels to cut and paste.
• Use alternative family structures for inclusivity (e.g., grandparents, carers).

Extension Activity:

• Students with fast finishing or advanced skills draw speech bubbles for each family member saying “Hallo, ich bin [Mama]!”

6. Plenary: Mini Whiteboard Quiz (5 mins)

• Show cartoon images of family members.
• Students write or draw the name in German on mini whiteboards.
• Quick rounds to reinforce recall and correct spelling.

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Assessment Opportunities:

• Observation during vocabulary games and whiteboard plenary.
• Review of each student's family tree for correct vocab usage and identification.
• Oral pronunciation check-in during group activities.

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Differentiation Strategies:

Learner Type	Strategy
Visual Learners	Use of visuals, flashcards, colour-coded supports
Auditory Learners	Repetitive songs, audio clips from native speakers
Kinesthetic Learners	Gesture-based games and movement during vocabulary drills
EAL/D Learners	Bilingual image strips temporarily for scaffolded transition
Students with Learning Needs	One-on-one assistance, pre-drawn templates with cut-and-paste
Gifted Learners	Encouraged to add speech bubbles and present family trees aloud

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Reflection for Teacher (Post-Lesson Prompts):

• Were students able to pronounce the words correctly with confidence?
• Did students engage more with actions, visuals, or drawing activities?
• Which learners needed further scaffolding?
• Were diverse family structures respected and represented?

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Teacher Notes:

Next lesson, we build on this knowledge by exploring “Meine Freunde” (My friends) and revisiting family terms in compound sentences. Consider inviting students to bring a photo of their family (if culturally appropriate) to include in a digital class collage titled “Unsere Familien” (Our Families).